Donald Trump said on Sunday that the United States is unlikely to launch fresh military strikes on Iran, provided Tehran agrees to what he described as a strong agreement. In a 20-minute telephone interview with CNN, the US president said any return to combat hinged on whether Iran would put its signature to such a deal, according to 뉴스핌.
Trump repeated that assessment five times during the conversation, the outlet reported, framing the decision as conditional rather than settled. He also said American forces in the region remain positioned for action should negotiations fail.
Why it matters
The remarks set the terms of a fragile pause in a conflict that has already seen direct US strikes on Iranian air defenses. Trump's phrasing left the door open to renewed operations while presenting diplomacy as his preferred path, a dual message aimed at both Tehran and domestic audiences.
The stakes extend beyond the two countries. Three US aircraft carriers are now in the region, with a fourth having just arrived, Trump said, describing all of them as at full combat readiness. That concentration of naval power gives Washington the ability to escalate quickly if talks collapse.
Infrastructure named as targets
Trump said Iranian power plants and bridges had been identified as potential targets. He claimed 38 bridges could be brought down within a single hour, adding that all of them could be destroyed.
He then argued against doing so. Rebuilding the infrastructure would take roughly a decade, he said, indicating he does not want to see it wrecked. The comment suggests the target list functions as leverage in negotiations rather than a settled plan of attack.
Trump also offered an assessment of Iran's degraded military capacity. He said the country's air defenses have been fully destroyed, its missile force is down to about 10 percent of its previous level, and its drone capability stands at roughly 15 percent. A large share of Iran's weapons production plants has also been destroyed, he added.
Those figures come from the president alone and were not independently confirmed in the reporting.
A conflict fought during talks
The interview follows a period in which Washington struck Iranian air defense sites while negotiations were still underway. 경향신문 reported that Trump described the defenses as neutralized within five minutes.
Iranian media reported multiple explosions on the southern island of Qeshm, according to 연합뉴스, an account that points to continuing volatility on the ground even as diplomatic channels remain open.
The administration's internal debate has also become visible. 동아일보 reported that Vice President JD Vance, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Secretary of State Marco Rubio have voiced differing approaches to the Iran campaign, with positions ranging from ending the war to resuming airstrikes to leaning on economic sanctions.
Tehran, for its part, has attributed the deadlock in mediation to fallout from the US midterm elections, 아시아경제 reported, suggesting Iranian officials see Washington's political calendar as a factor in the stalled talks.
What to watch: whether Iran signs the agreement Trump has made the condition for restraint, and whether the carriers stay in place or begin to draw down.
